‘Let’s make it happen,’ Councillor Doug tells Mayor Rob, who has shunned Pride’s July 1 parade because of his family's cottage tradition.

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford (left) and brother, Councillor Doug Ford, chat during one of their radio hosting stints earlier this year.

By:Emily MathieuStaff Reporter, Published on Sun Jun 24 2012

There was talk of flag waving, city-wide celebrations and even tentative plans to organize a Canada Day parade, during Mayor Rob Ford’s final radio show for the summer on NewsTalk 1010.

What wasn’t part of the discussion was Pride, the 10-day celebration of tolerance culminating with a massive parade on July 1.

Mayor Ford and his brother, Councillor Doug Ford, spent their last show — they are back on the air in September — talking about football, street vendors, soccer, cricket, the Queen’s Plate, the Toronto Transit Commission and working with “lefties” at city hall.

During the first hour the brothers took a call from Councillor Frances Nunziata (Ward 11, York South-Weston) about the upcoming soccer fundraiser The Festival of Football. She mentioned her annual Canada Day event at Weston Lions Park and the talk turned to parades.

Councillor Ford said Nunziata and the mayor had been “down there for years,” and asked why there wasn’t a Canada Day parade. He didn’t say exactly where the event should be held.

“We should be as patriotic as anything,” said Councillor Ford. “We should be having a Canada Day parade. We should have the troops going down with us waving the flags,” he said.

Mayor Ford piped in. “I couldn’t agree with you more.”

His brother pledged back, “Next year, let’s make it happen.”

Nunziata agreed. “We are all proud to be Canadian and we should celebrate and have a parade.”

If a July 1 parade is planned the Fords might have to alter an annual tradition.

Mayor Ford did not attend last year’s Pride parade and has said he will miss this year’s celebration because it conflicts with annual Canada Day celebrations at his family cottage.

The mayor’s spokesperson did not respond to a question about whether the mayor would attend a Canada Day parade. He did attend a flag-raising ceremony for the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, at City Hall in May, but not the Pride flag-raising event.

The brothers took over NewsTalk 1010 show The City on Feb. 26, using the 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. spot as a platform to share their opinions on everything from sports, city council and the TTC, to diet plans and outsourcing residential garbage service.

Guests for the final show included George Cohon, the McDonald’s Canada founder, who was recently given the key to the city in celebration of his years of public service.

Chris Rudge, chairman and chief executive officer for the100th Grey Cup Festival, called in to talk football. Andy Byford, CEO of the TTC, shared anecdotes about playing cricket with Councillor Ford — including praise for his pitching ability — at the recent Cricket Across the Pond tournament in Toronto. A block of time was dedicated to improving street-food vending options in Toronto with Marianne Moroney, executive director of the Street Food Vendors Association.

The brothers kept up the tradition of poking fun at each other, tossing barbs about each other’s athletic and fishing ability and fear of leaches.

They also cracked that the Toronto Star would be reporting from “the bushes” up at their cottage on Canada Day.

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